Moto Guzzi's Griso enjoyed rave reviews when it first appeared on the market in 2005. Journalists applauded the Italian manufacturer for producing a bike that looked as good as, if not better, than the original concept. The Griso featured a revised engine design, a high quality finish and enough power to deliver a favourable riding experience. It was of course not without out its flaws. Although on paper the suspension setup looked good it wasn't as responsive as many had hoped and the power from the engine was just shy of delivering an exhilarating ride. Wanting to add an Italian born and bred cafe racer to their stable of custom builds, the team at Officine Sbrannetti decided that the Griso, despite its shortcomings, would be the perfect platform.

"It's incredible how the nature of this bike is changed!" exclaims Jody Basso of Officine Sbrannetti. Jody and his partners spent 5 months transforming the 2005 Moto Guzzi Griso 1100 in their Northern Italian workshop to create the bike they've named "Caffé Lungo". Along with improving upon a few of the Griso's performance flaws the goal was to create a low, flat and angry cafe racer; and that's exactly what they achieved.

There's no hiding the Griso's long footprint, so rather than trying to disguise it the team decided to accent it. The rear subframe of Caffé Lungo is entirely new and considerably shorter than before. The custom rear loop of the subframe now integrates the bikes LED lighting and the number plate has been relocated to sit on a custom made, hugger style bracket. With the rear wheel so exposed the 3 spoke wheels weren't suiting their cafe racer aesthetic, so they had to go. In their place they fit a set of custom spoked rims and hubs which were built in collaboration with Jonich Wheels. With performance firmly in mind the rims were then wrapped in Dunlop SportSmart rubber.

Next the Sbrannetti team turned their attention to remedying the Griso's performance gripes. For improved ride and handling they reto fit the fully adjustable Öhlins forks and mono-shock from an Aprilia RSV1000 R. Taking things one step further they then upgraded the fork internals with a racing suspension kit and added a complete Brembo brake and clutch system.

Not only was the Griso's standard muffler a behemoth it was also responsible for restricting the engines power. After removing the entire factory exhaust a 2-into-2 system was designed and fabricated by Mass Moto which, according to Jody, sounds and functions "really, really well!"

To give the bike its "flat and angry" appearance the standard handlebars were replaced with clip on versions and the headlight exchanged for a MV Agusta Brutale unit. Narrowing proportions and emphasising the engines longitudinally opposed cylinders was accomplished by removing the fuel tank side covers. Frame hugging side panels wearing custom made Officine Sbrannetti emblems were then added to fill the void beneath them. The fuel tank itself was also trimmed in the rear to fit the bikes custom subframe.

When it was time to paint Caffé Lungo the guys teamed up with local paint shop TP Design. After a thorough clean the frame, shaft drive swingarm and engine were finished in matte black and the fuel tank was sprayed with a metallic anthracite grey.

To finish the off the Griso's front end there's a Motogadget speedometer and at the bar ends, Motogadget LED turn signals. The custom seat was designed and upholstered by local leather worker, LA 1972 and is colour matched to the strap that runs down the spine of the tank, a "trademark" feature you'll find on of all Officine Sbrannetti builds.

BROWSE BY MOTORCYCLE BRAND

ABOUT ROCR

Since 2006 I've been covering the global Cafe Racer and custom motorcycle scene. What started as a personal project and custom motorcycle build has today become one of the world's top motorcycle blogs reaching a massive global audience.

I'm a motorcycle rider, builder and journalist living in Melbourne, Australia. I aim to inspire people to start their own builds or to simply feed their passion for everything two wheels.

When it comes to featured builds I stick to my cafe racer theme featuring motorcycles that honour the cafe racer design or modification ethos. I also post regularly about the latest riding gear, events, new motorcycle releases and the occasional movie. If you've got something you'd like to share you can reach me here.